The Opening Day of catch-and-keep trout season began Saturday morning at 6:30 at Montauk State Park. There were 1,857 adult trout tags and another 310 youth tags sold as of 4:00 Saturday afternoon. This is up from last year’s number by 134 tags. Thirty-eight lunkers were caught during the day with the largest being a 6-pound, 4-ounce rainbow trout by Garrett Wilfong of Des Arc, Missouri. The catch-and-keep season will be in effect until October 31st. 

With catch-and-keep trout fishing at Missouri’s four trout parks now underway you can enjoy fishing at: Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Montauk State Park near Salem, Roaring River State Park near Cassville, and Maramec Spring Park near St. James. The daily limit is four trout, and the possession limit is eight for all four parks. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) operates trout hatcheries at all four parks and will stock about 20,000 trout among the four parks for opening day. MDC will continue to stock the trout parks daily during the catch-and-keep season, totaling more than 600,000 trout annually at the four trout parks and about 1 million trout annually statewide. There was some concern about trout production with the historic flooding, but MDC Hatcheries Systems Manager Clint Hale expects to have a successful trout season with ample fishing opportunities for anglers. Trout anglers need a daily trout tag to fish in Missouri’s trout parks during the catch-and-keep season. The cost of a daily trout tag is $5 for adults and $3 for those 15-years-old and younger. Daily trout tags can only be purchased at each of the four trout parks. The Department of Conservation encourages trout anglers to have the correct amount of cash for daily tags, if possible. Missouri residents ages 16 to 64 and nonresidents ages 16 and older also need a fishing permit in addition to the daily trout tag. A daily fishing permit is $9. The department also encourages trout anglers to buy fishing permits ahead of time from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free MO Fishing app, available for download on the App Store or Google Play. Thousands of anglers from Missouri and beyond flock to Missouri’s four trout parks each year. While many leave with some trout, they all leave more than $100 million in spending along the way, which supports thousands of jobs and helps local economies.

The Salem Public Library Board of trustees held their regular meeting on Thursday evening at 5pm in the Library conference room. Before the meeting officially began, Salem Police Officer John Brown and Building Inspector Jarred Brown shared concerns about visibility issues with the library sign at the Fourth Street entrance. The Board voted and approved lowering the sign to improve driver visibility. After approving the previous meeting’s minutes, Library Director Kate McBride presented the librarian’s and treasurer’s reports noting increased attendance in children’s programs, positive newspaper coverage, and over $400 in book sales in the month of December, several donations and the receipt of local library taxes. The Board discussed several ongoing maintenance issues during old business, and  McBride stated all new computers and software, that were purchased using funds provided by LSTA Tech Grant, have been installed. The Library has recently received a new telescope and is working to establish a protocol for patron use. The Board approved a bid from Coverdell Auto Glass in the amount of $635.31 to repair a broken window pane in the North Basement, and the decision to maintain the current closing policy due to inclement weather, as written in the bylaws. The meeting then adjourned with the next scheduled meeting to take place on March 13th at 5:00 in the evening in the Library’s conference room.